[SirOsisOfLiver]

Ok I just got home from a week of cottaging on Lorimer Lake. Its in Central Ontario in what is called Cottage Country, close to Parry Sound (Bobby Orr's birthplace). It had everything 2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, hot tub 200 feet of waterfront property, dock with canoe/peddle/ and 9.9 horsepower boat. Pontoon planes landing and docking at the what looked like million dollar cottages. Deer, moose, loons total tranquility. I've been camping my whole life and have just started getting into the cottage life. So we rented this amazing place and now really would love to own a cottage of our own.

Here is the question!!

Anyone on this site own their own cottage and have any advice as to whether or not owning is a good thing or is the work involved just way too much? I ask because the owners of the cottage we rented had a maintenance book that we went through and it seems like a ton of work. They had maintenance guys come to cut the grass I can only assume locals do this for a hefty fee, they had a maid service to clean up when we left. They also had directions on how to keep the cottage winterized and what must be done to keep it liveable in the winter. Sounds like a pain in the ass. So as I have asked is this all worth owning this getaway or is it easier to just rent for a week here or a week there never being able o call it your own and having to abide by the rules of the owners.

I'm sure there are some people here that own a home away from home?

[BasRuttenFan]

I would love to have a cottage but I'm not sure about the maintanance etc. I'm guessing being in Ontario if it was not lived in year round it would require winterizing for the plumbing and such. I've been going to Rice Lake over east of Peterborough since I was 8. I always look at the cottages along the lake and dream of having one some day but I'm sure finances will always veto that dream.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

A friend of mine has a trailer on Rica Lake. Just no the same to me. I'm addicted to the Georgian Bay, perry sound area, killbear park etc.... Like you said though I guess it's what you grow up doing. Since I was a kid it was up to killbear park every year in and around that area anyway.

The prices are dropping btw the average cottage price is not half a million anymore,lol. According to the real estate guys in Parry sound the prices are projected to go down again next year and possibly the next.

[BasRuttenFan]

My Grandpa has been kicking himself for 30 years for not buying one on Rice Lake when he had the chance. He used to stay at a camp that had a cottage bordering the property and he and my Grandma would go out to dinner with the couple that had the cottage every year when they would go up there. The guy wanted to sell it to my grandpa but he wasn't wanting anything like that at the time. The guy that owned the cottage was actually the trainer for Secretariat, the horse that won the triple crown.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

Yeah people (the baby boomers) were buying up all the property in central/northern ontario dirt cheap back in the day. A friend of my wife's had a cottage growing up bought buy her parents which she has since inherited. My wife was telling me that the parents bought the lakefront land and cottage for $12,000 dollars about 30 years ago. Water access only off of Harold Point right near killbear park on Georgian Bay. They could easily sell it now for $750,000. Crazy how property value goes through the roof once something (in this case cottaging) becomes fashionable.

Goldie Hawn owned a cottage on Rouseau lake until recently. The average price of a cottage on that lake is about 2 million. And again if you were luck enough to have bought way back when you could sell today for 100 X what you paid for it.

[mr_pringles]

its called a cabin.

not a cottage.

a cabin.

[BasRuttenFan]

Originally Posted by mr_pringles

its called a cabin.

not a cottage.

a cabin.

Depends on where the "structure" is.

[Dane Bramage]

doesn't tom hanks own some property up there?

Anyhoo, I say you go ahead and do it. You only live once. Think of it as an investment for your kids, if you have any.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

First what is the difference between a Cabin and Cottage? In the early days of the pioneer a cabin was a simple one-room lodging and a cottage was a self contained home. Today there is very little difference in a cabin and cottage except size. Cottages tend to be bigger.

Based on visits with thousands of accommodations since 1995 we have found that a cabin tends to be a smaller one-room structure while a cottage is more of a multi-room self contained home. And please note there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes a cabin is called a cottage and a cottage is called a cabin by some.

Cottages, in general, are self contained units with more than one room. Most cottages include a private entrance, one or more sleeping rooms, a full bathroom, fireplace, common living area, full kitchen and dining area. Some cottage and cabin retreats also have, onsite, a food and beverage facility, specialty shops, a meeting and conference building and/or a selection of entertainment activities.

Cabins, in general, are simple one room structures. There are cabins that are also self contained (more like a cottage than cabin) and there are cabins that are bare bones. The bare bone cabins are usually very remote and are associated with some sort of outdoor activity. For example some of the simpler one-room cabins are located at the end of long haul backpacking trips, snowmobile tours and xc skiing adventures.

The selection of cottages and cabins varies greatly. Some enjoy all the luxuries of home while other cottage and cabin accommodations do not have power, phones, TV or plumbed washrooms. It is important to check what is included when booking an accommodation.

Cottage and cabin units, like all accommodations, generally promote higher rates in the peak seasons from May to September and offer discounted deals in the off seasons. Be aware that some cottage and cabin retreats operate peak seasons in the winter months because the accommodations are part of a winter activity. So peak season would be December to March.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

yes Tom owns on the same lake as GOldie HAwn used to have a place on Rouseau lake. VEry expensive lake.